[Pale Roadster]

Just curious, am I the only one with zero interest in group rides? I might go out with one or two friends, but you won't see me on poker runs, charity rides or any kind of organized trips.

I've considered one of those euro tours where you fly in, ride their bike in a group for a week and fly home only because having a local familiar guide, that probably speaks the language seems like a good idea having never been to Europe at all.

So am I the only anti social one with no interest in strangers of unknown capabilities following close behind me when a car turns in front of me and the other delights of group riding?

 

[Panzermann]

Yep - me too. Happy to ride with mates, whose capabilities I am familiar with - we’ve had some fantastic trips to Phillip Island with groups up to 10, that space out according to capabilities and desires. But no desire to ride in a group of strangers - too many unknowns.

Other than a potter on my SRX6 with the Vets and Vintage Club a little while back, the last group ride I did was at the suggestion of a work colleague. Towards Bombala two bikes managed to clip each other, fortunately without coming off. Then a returning rider froze on entry to the first corner after the subsequent open stretches and dropped his immaculate bevel Ducati. Then another guy got target fixated, locked up the rear and speared his old but well maintained/restored R1 over a grassy bank. After lunch, as we headed up Brown Mountain a guy on an R6 was overtaking on blind corners.

I was glad to get home safely.

 

[Long Ranger]

You’re definitely not alone. No group rides for me either.

That said, if you’ve not yet participated in an organized motorcycle tour in the Alps, I highly recommend it. Expensive but absolutely worth it. My next one will be #7. After spending a week on those glorious roads, with all that spectacular scenery and incredible food, I’ll come home to Colorado and ride my favorite roads in the mountains here. It’s a huge letdown.

 

[mikeS]

Nope, you're not the only one @ Pale Roadster. Nothing wrong with a group or social rides. I have a very few close mates that I ride with occasionally, however, I prefer to ride solo riding/ explore regional OZ; it's my happy place, and I like to do my own thing. As far as turning up for an organised social ride with the great in-washed, I would rather chew my arm off. Again, that's just me. Although, if I could convince Nigel to stop giving directions, I would invite him along.

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[Dr. Strangelove]

This topic gets refreshed every few years, but my answer is always the same...solo for me. I think that is typical for BMW riders.
I wonder if the answers are different for the cruiser/harley forums?

 

[mjgt]

I don't much like group rides, much prefer to ride alone. I can ride at my own pace, go where I want and don't have to keep an eye out for somebody else. In a group there is always, always an arse who thinks he can ride harder and faster than anyone else and want to show off, fine but do it without me.

 

[mikeS]

I don't much like group rides, much prefer to ride alone. I can ride at my own pace, go where I want and don't have to keep an eye out for somebody else. In a group there is always, always an arse who thinks he can ride harder and faster than anyone else and want to show off, fine but do it without me.

100%


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[cavman 69]

all those group rides, flood runs, and other fund raiser are 99% Harleys. and a lot of them are drinking......a lot. not thanks.

 

[Dave]

I'm happy to ride alone on single days out but find being in a small group of friends for longer trips more enjoyable, someone to share a few beers with in the evening. I've never considered organised rides as I enjoy the planning of tours and as I do the planning my group of friends have to go where I want to explore.

 

[sturgeon]

I've been a life-long loner in pretty much all my pursuits. Because of my penchant to head off into the wilderness by myself with my canoe or my backpack, and live self-supported for a week or three, my daughters call me "mountain man", and have long ago stopped worrying about me. Sometimes on long rides across the country, I'll encounter other bikers at lunch stops and I'm happy to sit and chat. But if they decide to ride along with me afterwards, I just turn off at the next nasty-looking dirt road and disappear.

I used to ride occasionally with a group of my pals, but I'd invariably end up ditching them after a couple of days on the road. They've stopped asking me, for some reason. We still get together on occasion to eat and have a beer or two, but I arrive alone and leave alone.

For me, the best parts of travelling solo, no matter the mode of transportation, are the intelligent conversations with nary a mention of air-head, oil, best axe in the world, tires, final-drive, blah, blah, blah, and winning all the arguments about where to go and when to stop for the day.

 

[sturgeon]

Although, if I could convince Nigel to stop giving directions, I would invite him along.

You need to give him something else to do. Mount a machine-gun on the top box and tell him he's been promoted from navigator to gunner.

 

[serrge]

Most of the time I ride solo. I enjoy the freedom of setting my own pace, stopping when I want, not having to wait for other people and ride where and for as long as I want. And camp. I don’t know other people who are into riding and camping.

3+ persons group rides are definitely not for me. Too much of a hassle and diverging opinions about ride plans, finding the time to ride together, being among interesting people, etc.

With the right people, sharing a weekend or bigger trip with one or two other persons can make the ride interesting in a different way. Sharing the enjoyment of a twisty road or an awe-inspiring scene feels great to me. Although I ride solo most of the time, there are times I’d love to be with someone I like to share those moments. A pillion could fulfill that, except it would make the ride less exciting.

But the real reason I ride solo most of the time is that I have a hard time finding the right 1 or 2 persons to share a weekend or longer trip.

 

[dbyker]

I also generally prefer riding alone, on my own roads, at my own pace, stopping when I want, going home when I'm done, all that. I do have one mate I enjoy riding with, but even there our abilities are a bit mismatched and our ride a bit compromised. I will very occasionally go on a group ride if I'm affiliated with the group in some way, like a dealer or veterans ride, but that is more for the camaraderie than for the ride itself.

There is great mental cobweb clearing on a long ride alone, which our good Dr. Strangelove and others have described well in elegant prose.

Cheers, 'anti-social' Dave

 

[Pale Roadster]

Nope, you're not the only one @ Pale Roadster. Nothing wrong with a group or social rides. I have a very few close mates that I ride with occasionally, however, I prefer to ride solo riding/ explore regional OZ; it's my happy place, and I like to do my own thing. As far as turning up for an organised social ride with the great in-washed, I would rather chew my arm off. Again, that's just me. Although, if I could convince Nigel to stop giving directions, I would invite him along.

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My kid bought a 2008 new beetle, and everytime I see one of these I wish Honda would send one to VW with a note
"This is how you build a retro "

 

[Pale Roadster]

You need to give him something else to do. Mount a machine-gun on the top box and tell him he's been promoted from navigator to gunner.

Happiness is a belt fed weapon

 

[Beevill]

Riding with a couple of others recently near Queen Mary Falls we passed this big group parked on the side of the road.

Temporary traffic lights meant they caught up with us a bit later . Two bikes in the larger group were then trying to 'race me' I could see them in the mirrors .. They managed to creep past only to take each other out on the next corner .. you could see it coming . In order to get past they'd built up way too much speed then the bike behind locked its brakes and skidded into the bike in front ..

Was kind of comical....both escaped but lucky there was no traffic coming the other way as they crashed across the lane.

So large groups you're not even riding with can be a danger sometimes. Like to stick with 3-4 people with similar pace and skills.

 

[Lee F]

I don't like riding in a group. My wife and I ride together and we know how each like to ride and we know how each other will react to certain situations.
Sometimes I like to ride fast, sometimes slow and I stop when I want to take pictures. That doesn't work in a group.

In 2003 we both got a 4 or 5 day Edelweiss tour in Montana as part of our BMW purchases. The rule was you could not ride alone, you had to ride in groups.
Each day we took off on our own.

 

[dbyker]

Happiness is a belt fed weapon

Stabilization & night vision.

Cheers, Dave

 

[Svaha!Dean]

When I started riding motorbikes in 2011, I joined group rides where I learned riding etiquette, some good routes and enjoyed social camaraderie. It was like hanging out with the wise old timers who seemed to know everything.

After a while that "know it all attitude" got stale, so I started designing and leading rides myself where I learned leadership, patience and social skills.

Since about 2014/15, I've preferred solo riding and the feather in my cap so far are two round-trip tours California to Alaska / Arctic Circle (2015 / 2016). After the pandemic, I hope to solo explore Northeast USA and Canada.

 

[sturgeon]

What an anti-social crowd! I fit right in